I've been absent for the past few months. Honestly, my life has been a chaotic train wreck. Not having a job or schedule has sent my life in a spiral downward. Don't get me wrong, there have been some amazing adventures and life changing events but the lack of structure is beginning to take it's toll on me.
In summary, these are events that have recently taken place...
10th place overall at the Tri The Lakes Sprint Triathlon.
A 3 week trip to the Keys and Miami filled with surfing, swamp tours, snorkeling, porsche convertibles, and alligators.
A week long mission trip to Cozumel.
Panama City Beach, Florida for the Florida Ironman
Backstage, VIP tickets to the see Styx, REO Speed Wagon and NIght Ranger
Family Christmas and Thanksgiving in Texas
Predators and Titans games
Job hunting
and going out for 38 or 39 days straight
I hope to have some of these events typed out with some pictures.... but at the rate i've been going, it's doubtful
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
letter to my church
In 2009 I set a goal to go on a mission trip and witness first hand the positive works of Jesus Christ. Your generous support enabeled me to make this goal possible. With the Harpeth Hills Church of Christ congregation in Nashville, Tennessee, I experienced my very first mission trip to an orphanage called Ciudad de Ángeles in Cozumel, Mexico.
Each year, thousands of tourist come to Cancun or Cozumel on vacation. Most visitors do not see the unemployment and poverty, nor learn about the inadequate education that exists in the non-tourist areas of the Yucatan. Children in Mexico do not have the social safety net that exists in most developed countries. A need exists for alternative childcare options, through private funds, to provi for these children. This also affords Christians an opportunity to teach children about God.
Ciudad de Ángeles provides a safe and healthy environment based on Christian principles for orphaned, abandoned, abused, and needy children living in Mexico. The home raises children to become Christian adults who are responsible citizens in their local communities.
Ciudad de Ángeles is a Christian children’s home on the island of Cozumel, just off the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. The home provides total care for all of the needs of the children – physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual. Ciudad de Ángeles strives to be a permanent home for these children.
Ciudad de Ángeles currently resides in four houses with a total capacity to serve 32 children, and children are being added as God continues to bless this work. The long-term vision is to develop the campus with individual cottages to house over 80 children.
The majority of our time at Ciudad de Ángeles was spent painting two of the four houses. Each house is approximately 2000 square feet of concrete with wrap around porches. Since Ciudad de Ángeles does no have electricity, the houses are engineered to remain cool year round with high vaulted, ventilated ceilings that create a draft through large, mesh lined windows. The rough surface of the concrete made it very difficult to paint. As the paint rollers covered the walls and ceilings, paint would spray everywhere. Depending on the house you were painting, you could be covered in yellow, blue, or white paint. In my case, I looked like I went to battle against all three colors with the paint being the victor!
Walls were built around the perimeter of Ciudad de Ángeles for security purposes. When we arrived, the walls were finished but needed a gate. We installed a gate to the main entrance and moved several tons of sand to elevate the low lying area to be flush with the bottom of the gate.
When our group was not working, we spent time with the children. Our main time for interaction with the children was between dinner and and their bed time. The evenings were spent doing group devos in spanish and helping the children with their English or school work. Interacting with the children was my favorite part of the mission trip. Each child has a different background and story about how they got to Ciudad de Ángeles. Even with all their differences, everyone accepted each other unconditionally. I was even more surprised at the children's display of affection towards our group. You could see in their eyes that they were genuinely excited and happy to have us as visitors.
On our second to last day, we spent all day with the children. Our group performed a short VBS which included singing, a skit of the Good Semaritan, and thank you cards to the local fire department. We sang the kids favorite songs in Spanish and taught them a few new ones on English. In the skit of the Good Semaritan, I played the role of the Good Semaritan. I think my Spanish was decent because they laughed in the parts that were funny. However, it's highly possible that they were laughing a my improper Spanish grammer and comical antics!
After our skit, we helped the children make thank you cards for the fire department. Once the cards were made we walked down the street and delivered the cards to the fireman. They taught the kids how to slide down the pole and let everyone have a chance to try it. The kid in me was really upset that I couldn't slide down the pole because we had to leave!
That evening we celebrated Halloween by conducting carnival games in the city square for the children of Ciudad de Ángeles and anyone else that wanted to participate. Overall we had close to 100 kids playing games and filling their bags with prizes and candy. Halloween is celebrated much differently in Cozumel than in the US. Going door to door trick-or-treating is not an option nor is it safe. I think this was a major highlight for the children in Cozumel and a Halloween they won't forget.
On our final day we attended the local church that the Harpeth Hills Church of Christ helped to establish. I was able to sing along in Spanish with the song book but I couldn't tell you what the preacher talked about! After church we brought food down to a large cabana overlooking the ocean. We served the food to all the children, families and workers at Ciudad de Ángeles and swam in the ocean. The children do not receive many opportunities to swim in the ocean and you could tell they enjoyed every second of it. The kids were also entertained by my failed attempts at flips and dives off a nearby cliff into the water.
That evening we said good bye to all the children, took lots of pictures with everyone and spent time reflecting on the impact we made on their lives and the impact they made on ours. My heart was touched in a way that it had never felt before. For people that live very poor compared to our standard of living, everyone was happy. It goes to show that money is not the key to happiness and the Holy Spirit can be found in the most remote and poverty stricken areas on earth. I am very blessed and thankful for the opportunity to witness the good works of Christ and the unconditional love that was shared to our group. Without your support I would not have these life long memories and for that, I am most grateful.
Each year, thousands of tourist come to Cancun or Cozumel on vacation. Most visitors do not see the unemployment and poverty, nor learn about the inadequate education that exists in the non-tourist areas of the Yucatan. Children in Mexico do not have the social safety net that exists in most developed countries. A need exists for alternative childcare options, through private funds, to provi for these children. This also affords Christians an opportunity to teach children about God.
Ciudad de Ángeles provides a safe and healthy environment based on Christian principles for orphaned, abandoned, abused, and needy children living in Mexico. The home raises children to become Christian adults who are responsible citizens in their local communities.
Ciudad de Ángeles is a Christian children’s home on the island of Cozumel, just off the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. The home provides total care for all of the needs of the children – physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual. Ciudad de Ángeles strives to be a permanent home for these children.
Ciudad de Ángeles currently resides in four houses with a total capacity to serve 32 children, and children are being added as God continues to bless this work. The long-term vision is to develop the campus with individual cottages to house over 80 children.
The majority of our time at Ciudad de Ángeles was spent painting two of the four houses. Each house is approximately 2000 square feet of concrete with wrap around porches. Since Ciudad de Ángeles does no have electricity, the houses are engineered to remain cool year round with high vaulted, ventilated ceilings that create a draft through large, mesh lined windows. The rough surface of the concrete made it very difficult to paint. As the paint rollers covered the walls and ceilings, paint would spray everywhere. Depending on the house you were painting, you could be covered in yellow, blue, or white paint. In my case, I looked like I went to battle against all three colors with the paint being the victor!
Walls were built around the perimeter of Ciudad de Ángeles for security purposes. When we arrived, the walls were finished but needed a gate. We installed a gate to the main entrance and moved several tons of sand to elevate the low lying area to be flush with the bottom of the gate.
When our group was not working, we spent time with the children. Our main time for interaction with the children was between dinner and and their bed time. The evenings were spent doing group devos in spanish and helping the children with their English or school work. Interacting with the children was my favorite part of the mission trip. Each child has a different background and story about how they got to Ciudad de Ángeles. Even with all their differences, everyone accepted each other unconditionally. I was even more surprised at the children's display of affection towards our group. You could see in their eyes that they were genuinely excited and happy to have us as visitors.
On our second to last day, we spent all day with the children. Our group performed a short VBS which included singing, a skit of the Good Semaritan, and thank you cards to the local fire department. We sang the kids favorite songs in Spanish and taught them a few new ones on English. In the skit of the Good Semaritan, I played the role of the Good Semaritan. I think my Spanish was decent because they laughed in the parts that were funny. However, it's highly possible that they were laughing a my improper Spanish grammer and comical antics!
After our skit, we helped the children make thank you cards for the fire department. Once the cards were made we walked down the street and delivered the cards to the fireman. They taught the kids how to slide down the pole and let everyone have a chance to try it. The kid in me was really upset that I couldn't slide down the pole because we had to leave!
That evening we celebrated Halloween by conducting carnival games in the city square for the children of Ciudad de Ángeles and anyone else that wanted to participate. Overall we had close to 100 kids playing games and filling their bags with prizes and candy. Halloween is celebrated much differently in Cozumel than in the US. Going door to door trick-or-treating is not an option nor is it safe. I think this was a major highlight for the children in Cozumel and a Halloween they won't forget.
On our final day we attended the local church that the Harpeth Hills Church of Christ helped to establish. I was able to sing along in Spanish with the song book but I couldn't tell you what the preacher talked about! After church we brought food down to a large cabana overlooking the ocean. We served the food to all the children, families and workers at Ciudad de Ángeles and swam in the ocean. The children do not receive many opportunities to swim in the ocean and you could tell they enjoyed every second of it. The kids were also entertained by my failed attempts at flips and dives off a nearby cliff into the water.
That evening we said good bye to all the children, took lots of pictures with everyone and spent time reflecting on the impact we made on their lives and the impact they made on ours. My heart was touched in a way that it had never felt before. For people that live very poor compared to our standard of living, everyone was happy. It goes to show that money is not the key to happiness and the Holy Spirit can be found in the most remote and poverty stricken areas on earth. I am very blessed and thankful for the opportunity to witness the good works of Christ and the unconditional love that was shared to our group. Without your support I would not have these life long memories and for that, I am most grateful.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Miami Adventure: Take 1
I have two good friends and room mates that live in Miami, Florida. Paul is a professional photographer and David is... well David just works. They came to crash at my house the day before I left for my triathlon in Arkansas and when I got back I was going with them to Miami.
The trip took FOREVER! But it wasn't that bad because I slept a lot and when I wasn't sleeping I was driving Paul and David crazy or playing on my iphone. I'm pretty sure about an hour outside of Nashville, they wanted to leave me on the side of the road. Actually, they tried leaving me at every single gas station or they would hide and make me think they left me!
After almost 16 hours of driving, we finally made it to Miami!
The trip took FOREVER! But it wasn't that bad because I slept a lot and when I wasn't sleeping I was driving Paul and David crazy or playing on my iphone. I'm pretty sure about an hour outside of Nashville, they wanted to leave me on the side of the road. Actually, they tried leaving me at every single gas station or they would hide and make me think they left me!
After almost 16 hours of driving, we finally made it to Miami!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Jail Break Triathlon
When I got laid off, the weather was crap for two straight weeks. I thought I was going to be outside everyday and play. I was wrong! It rained all day long, everyday for two weeks. I was doing a brick work out at the Y (for those that do not know me, I hate training inside. I hate spin bikes and equally hate treadmills!) on another rainy day when an employee came up to me and asked it I was triathlete and I said yes. He said there was another person training at the the Y today that was a good triathlete and that I should meet him. He introduced me to this guy named Rob. He told me about a triathlon that he was wanting to do but needed a team mate. Naturally, having so much free time on my hands, I offered to be his partner. The race was 3.5 mile canoe, 8 mile mountain bike and a 2.5 mile trail run. You and your partner start off in the canoe and then they combine your total times for the bike and run to get a final combined time.
Race Day: This race is called Jail Break because it's held across the street from a prison and the inmates come out and get to help at the event! I'm sure some of us in our tights looked more like jail bait to some of these guys!
The river was up about 10 feet because of all the rain. The excess rain also made for some extremely muddy conditions. The rain definitely did not let up for the race. It was a complete down pour for the entire race! We were in the 3rd group to start the canoe because of our mountain biking experience. This would turn out to be awful because two groups were already in front of us making a complete mess of the course. Me and Rob came in 1st place out of the canoe and then carried our canoes up a long hill to the transition area. By the time we got to the transition area, it had filled up with 6 inches of rain and mud! The bike started off with this 60 degree hill with rocks and tree limbs all over it. You're bike just slid all over the place. I had mud in my teeth from the very start. Just imagine jumping into a mud pit. That's what I looked like. The course was exceptionally difficult on the steep hills. I had to unclip from my pedals and run my bike up the hills. Sometimes even having to crawl on my hands and knees to make it to the top. I caught up and passed almost everyone in group two on the trail. When I started the run I knew it was going to be difficult because it went over the first 2 miles of the bike trail. If I wasn't slipping all over the place I was on my hands and knees again crawling up hills and grabbing onto trees to pull myself forward. I caught and passed several people from the first group on the run and finished with a really good time. We ended up taking 3rd place overall out of 100 teams. We only got beat by two teams that were professional mountain bikers. If I had more experience riding trails, I think we could have won the entire race.
Experiencing this type of race really made me want to try Xterra races. Xterra races are similar to road triathlons but they have a mountain bike and trail run instead of a road bike and run.
The rain finally stopped at the end of the race and the sun actually came out! I had a blast at this race and will definitely do it again next year. Except next time, I'm winning the entire thing!
Race Day: This race is called Jail Break because it's held across the street from a prison and the inmates come out and get to help at the event! I'm sure some of us in our tights looked more like jail bait to some of these guys!
The river was up about 10 feet because of all the rain. The excess rain also made for some extremely muddy conditions. The rain definitely did not let up for the race. It was a complete down pour for the entire race! We were in the 3rd group to start the canoe because of our mountain biking experience. This would turn out to be awful because two groups were already in front of us making a complete mess of the course. Me and Rob came in 1st place out of the canoe and then carried our canoes up a long hill to the transition area. By the time we got to the transition area, it had filled up with 6 inches of rain and mud! The bike started off with this 60 degree hill with rocks and tree limbs all over it. You're bike just slid all over the place. I had mud in my teeth from the very start. Just imagine jumping into a mud pit. That's what I looked like. The course was exceptionally difficult on the steep hills. I had to unclip from my pedals and run my bike up the hills. Sometimes even having to crawl on my hands and knees to make it to the top. I caught up and passed almost everyone in group two on the trail. When I started the run I knew it was going to be difficult because it went over the first 2 miles of the bike trail. If I wasn't slipping all over the place I was on my hands and knees again crawling up hills and grabbing onto trees to pull myself forward. I caught and passed several people from the first group on the run and finished with a really good time. We ended up taking 3rd place overall out of 100 teams. We only got beat by two teams that were professional mountain bikers. If I had more experience riding trails, I think we could have won the entire race.
Experiencing this type of race really made me want to try Xterra races. Xterra races are similar to road triathlons but they have a mountain bike and trail run instead of a road bike and run.
The rain finally stopped at the end of the race and the sun actually came out! I had a blast at this race and will definitely do it again next year. Except next time, I'm winning the entire thing!
Another Statistic
On Tuesday, September 8 I became another statistic for the exceedingly high unemployment rate in America. With Monday off from work, I came into work with tons of stories from my Half Ironman race for everyone in the office. I was always known for having story time every monday from my weekend adventures. Everything started off the same way it did every morning. Nothing seemed different. I got a message saying to meet in the conference room for a meeting. It was a random group of people in the conference room but this was normal sometimes when making company wide announcements. The CEO and President came in and said, you're in here because we are laying you off. Me being a clown, I almost laughed out loud and said, this is a joke, right! Good thing I decided to wear my "professional pants" to work that day. Basically, 20% of the company was laid off. It was a business decision that would put the company in a better financial situation. I was in disbelief. This actually happened to me. We were told that we could not go back in to the office. Someone was collecting our belongings at our desks and we could exit the back door and our stuff will be in brown bags in the first floor lobby. I was upset that I couldn't say good bye to anyone. After working for almost two years with everyone, you develop some close relationships. Leaving the building for the last time felt like a scene off the Breakfast Club. I knew I probably wouldn't see some of these people again and everyone was going off in their own directions. I was the only one that left with a smile on my face. I had been praying for a change. I knew this was the blessing in disguise that I had been hoping for. I immediately knew that I had no excuses anymore for not pursuing my dreams and finding a job that I was happy with. I'm glad that my boss chose me out of our department to be let go. She knew that I wasn't happy and it was evident in my face as I worked. Out of everyone in our company, I was the one that people thought shouldn't be sitting at a desk looking over spreadsheets. It's just not me.
Bright side is, I have tons of time to train and do some adventurous things. Not to mention the nice severance package I was left with! Thanks for the memories Eco-Energy and good bye ethanol and biodiesel fuel tax laws!
Bright side is, I have tons of time to train and do some adventurous things. Not to mention the nice severance package I was left with! Thanks for the memories Eco-Energy and good bye ethanol and biodiesel fuel tax laws!
Great Illini Half Ironman
When I first started training for triathlons this year, I did not think a Half Ironman would be possible. Prior to this race I've only completed two sprints and one olympic distance triathlon. I proved to myself that anything is possible with hard work, dedication and even making major changes to the life you used to live.
I was relatively at ease with the thought of racing for 70.3 miles until I got to the check-in tent the day before the race. It's an anxiousness that I always felt when I ran track and cross country in high school. Everyone looks like they're capable of doing a low 4 hour Half and the swim course looks longer than 1.2 miles.
I don't have many pre race rituals yet since I'm fairly inexperienced at triathlons. As I write this, I have completed another two triathlons and there have been a few things that seem to be a pattern. I like setting up an area in my hotel room that will be similar to my transition area the day of the race. Then I like to stare at it and visualize myself coming out of the water into T1 and what I will need to get, in what order and any other variables that may change what I do. I do the same thing for T2 and eventually I fall asleep dreaming of me racing.
Race day came with no surprises. The course was pretty flat and the weather was overcast and cool. I warmed up with no music this time because my ipod decided to die on me. One thing that I did not anticipate was rain. The weather man forcasted a 10% chance of rain. He was 100% wrong. Rain started coming down a few minutes before the gun went off!
Swim: I had been practicing open water swims several times a week. Specifically, I focused on going out really fast for the first few hundred yards then settling into a rhythm. This technique was supposed to get me out in front and keep out of the chaos of people fighting to get around the first buoy. When everyone got in the water for the swim start, I made sure I was in front and right in the middle. The gun went off and a madness of arms and legs thrashed the water. I got absolutely brutalized. Nothing went the way I had planned. I literally got swam over for the first 500 yards. My breathing was off, I tensed up and I felt awful during the swim. The swim was a two loop course and starting the second loop, I felt absolutely horrible. I swam about 10 minutes slower than I am capable of and when I got out of the water, I knew I had expelled too much energy during the swim. This was going to be a long day.
Bike: The first 10 miles of the bike I focused on warming up my legs and getting mentally prepared for the rest of the race. In training I had only gone over 56 miles a few times and it was usually a coin flip on whether I felt good or not. I was hoping that today I would be feeling good after the bike because I had not ran anything close to 13.1 miles after a long bike! The bike course was also two loops so I knew that how I felt at the turn around would be a good indication as to how hard I could push it. Around mile 15, I was taking a right hand turn off this gravel road (yes, gravel roads! skinny tires and rocks everywhere is no bueno!) and two people tried to pass on my inside right. I don't know if there is an etiquette rule about passing on 90 degree turns in a race like this considering you're going to be on the bike for a long time. Pass after the turn! I took my turn out wide and as I was turning I realized that I was heading into a loose gravel strip and I could see the writing on the wall. Wet roads, loose gravel, and skinny tires do not play well together. I ate the pavement going around 20 miles an hour and absolutely killed my entire right side of my body. My arm was bleeding really bad and it looked like huge rocks were stuck in it. To make matters worse, when I'm in the arrow position on my bike, all my weight is on my front forearms. This made the paid excruciating. Even with the bike wreck, I still managed to avg 19.9 mph. That was a personal best for me and I was pretty excited about it.
Run: It's now time to run 13.1 miles after swimming 1.2 miles and biking 56 miles! I started off my first mile at a 6:45 pace which felt really good. Then I got to mile two and all hell broke loose. I started having the feelings of a cramp coming up in my right quad. Then my left quad. Then both decided to fire off at the same time that made me stop dead in my tracks. I tried walking them out for a minute till the pain subsided and began running again. A few minutes later it happened again. This time my hamstrings began to cramp and I had to lay flat on the ground because I could not move or everything would cramp up. I felt like my legs were pulling on muscles in my neck. That's how bad my muscles were cramping. Long story long, I had to fight this back and forth pain for the entire race. I finished up averaging 8:30 miles. I was completely bummed out.
Even though all three parts of the race went bad, I still finished the race with a huge smile on my face. It was a smile of relief, disbelief and accomplishment. I finished at 5 hours and 30 minutes and got second place in my age group. I was about 20 minutes slower than I wanted to be but it gives me some motivation to train harder for next year.
I was relatively at ease with the thought of racing for 70.3 miles until I got to the check-in tent the day before the race. It's an anxiousness that I always felt when I ran track and cross country in high school. Everyone looks like they're capable of doing a low 4 hour Half and the swim course looks longer than 1.2 miles.
I don't have many pre race rituals yet since I'm fairly inexperienced at triathlons. As I write this, I have completed another two triathlons and there have been a few things that seem to be a pattern. I like setting up an area in my hotel room that will be similar to my transition area the day of the race. Then I like to stare at it and visualize myself coming out of the water into T1 and what I will need to get, in what order and any other variables that may change what I do. I do the same thing for T2 and eventually I fall asleep dreaming of me racing.
Race day came with no surprises. The course was pretty flat and the weather was overcast and cool. I warmed up with no music this time because my ipod decided to die on me. One thing that I did not anticipate was rain. The weather man forcasted a 10% chance of rain. He was 100% wrong. Rain started coming down a few minutes before the gun went off!
Swim: I had been practicing open water swims several times a week. Specifically, I focused on going out really fast for the first few hundred yards then settling into a rhythm. This technique was supposed to get me out in front and keep out of the chaos of people fighting to get around the first buoy. When everyone got in the water for the swim start, I made sure I was in front and right in the middle. The gun went off and a madness of arms and legs thrashed the water. I got absolutely brutalized. Nothing went the way I had planned. I literally got swam over for the first 500 yards. My breathing was off, I tensed up and I felt awful during the swim. The swim was a two loop course and starting the second loop, I felt absolutely horrible. I swam about 10 minutes slower than I am capable of and when I got out of the water, I knew I had expelled too much energy during the swim. This was going to be a long day.
Bike: The first 10 miles of the bike I focused on warming up my legs and getting mentally prepared for the rest of the race. In training I had only gone over 56 miles a few times and it was usually a coin flip on whether I felt good or not. I was hoping that today I would be feeling good after the bike because I had not ran anything close to 13.1 miles after a long bike! The bike course was also two loops so I knew that how I felt at the turn around would be a good indication as to how hard I could push it. Around mile 15, I was taking a right hand turn off this gravel road (yes, gravel roads! skinny tires and rocks everywhere is no bueno!) and two people tried to pass on my inside right. I don't know if there is an etiquette rule about passing on 90 degree turns in a race like this considering you're going to be on the bike for a long time. Pass after the turn! I took my turn out wide and as I was turning I realized that I was heading into a loose gravel strip and I could see the writing on the wall. Wet roads, loose gravel, and skinny tires do not play well together. I ate the pavement going around 20 miles an hour and absolutely killed my entire right side of my body. My arm was bleeding really bad and it looked like huge rocks were stuck in it. To make matters worse, when I'm in the arrow position on my bike, all my weight is on my front forearms. This made the paid excruciating. Even with the bike wreck, I still managed to avg 19.9 mph. That was a personal best for me and I was pretty excited about it.
Run: It's now time to run 13.1 miles after swimming 1.2 miles and biking 56 miles! I started off my first mile at a 6:45 pace which felt really good. Then I got to mile two and all hell broke loose. I started having the feelings of a cramp coming up in my right quad. Then my left quad. Then both decided to fire off at the same time that made me stop dead in my tracks. I tried walking them out for a minute till the pain subsided and began running again. A few minutes later it happened again. This time my hamstrings began to cramp and I had to lay flat on the ground because I could not move or everything would cramp up. I felt like my legs were pulling on muscles in my neck. That's how bad my muscles were cramping. Long story long, I had to fight this back and forth pain for the entire race. I finished up averaging 8:30 miles. I was completely bummed out.
Even though all three parts of the race went bad, I still finished the race with a huge smile on my face. It was a smile of relief, disbelief and accomplishment. I finished at 5 hours and 30 minutes and got second place in my age group. I was about 20 minutes slower than I wanted to be but it gives me some motivation to train harder for next year.
Catching Up
I wish I had a good excuse for not updating my blog, but I have none. However, in my defense, I have not been sitting on the couch with nothing to write about. This has been the busiest and most crazy part of my year so far. Here's what I've been up to...
My first Half Ironman Race
Getting laid off from my job
An off road triathlon
A sprint triathlon in Arkansas
and a road trip to Miami, The Keys, and The Everglades that has lasted a month
Today, I will attempt to make up for lost time and tell some pretty cool stories about my past trips, races and epic adventures.
My first Half Ironman Race
Getting laid off from my job
An off road triathlon
A sprint triathlon in Arkansas
and a road trip to Miami, The Keys, and The Everglades that has lasted a month
Today, I will attempt to make up for lost time and tell some pretty cool stories about my past trips, races and epic adventures.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Heart Rate Training
I've been approaching every training session the wrong way. Come to think of it, I've been training the wrong way my entire life! After reading an article by Mark Allen -6 time Ironman World Champion- on heart rate (HR) training last week, I made the decision to buy a HR monitor. Here's a link to the article if you're interested in reading it http://www.duathlon.com/articles/1460
I am a self inflicted victim of over training. Actually, I shouldn't say I'm a victim. Being ignorant doesn't make you a victim. It just makes you uneducated. Anyways, back to my point. This is a common occurrence in most Type "A" personality types and endurance athletes. I know from experience that the old school train of thought to achieve optimal performance was to go all out, every time that you trained. I can remember back to high school when I ran track and cross country. Every single practice was a high tempo, all or nothing workout, day in-day out. I remember getting so frustrated with my times because I was pushing it so hard everyday but not getting any better. If I had known then what I know now, my 4:45 mile could have been much faster. The Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda's (it's a good book- read it!) in life won't get you anywhere. So here's what I've learned and how I'm going to make sure I don't hit the same walls in my training again.
HR training is broken out into five different zones. Training in each of these different zones will give you different results.
Zone 1: 50-60% of Max HR This is the safest, most comfortable zone, reached by walking briskly. Here you strengthen your heart and improve muscle mass while you reduce body fat, cholesterol, blood pressure, and your risk for degenerative disease. You get healthier in this zone, but not more fit -- that is, it won't increase your endurance or strength but it will increase your health.
Zone 2: 60-70% of Max HR It's easily reached by jogging slowly. While still a relatively low level of effort, this zone starts training your body to increase the rate of fat release from the cells to the muscles for fuel.
Some people call this the "fat burning zone" because up to 85 % of the total calories burned in this zone are fat calories which is equally as important.
Zone 3: The Aerobic Zone 70-80% of Max HR In this zone -- reached by running easily as an example -- you improve your functional capacity. The number and size of your blood vessels actually increase, you step up your lung capacity and respiratory rate, and your heart increases in size and strength so you can exercise longer before becoming fatigued. You're still metabolizing fats and carbohydrates at about a 50-50 rate which means both are burning at the same ratio.
Zone 4: The Anaerobic Threshold 80-90% of Max HR Here you get faster and fitter, increasing your heart rate as you cross from aerobic to anaerobic training. This is where you "feel the burn." You can stay in this zone for a limited amount of time, usually not more than an hour. That's because the muscle just cannot sustain working anaerobically (this means without sufficient oxygen) without fatiguing.
Zone 5: The Redline Zone 90-100% of Max HR This is the equivalent of running all out and is used mostly as an "interval" training regiment -- exertion done only in short to intermediate length bursts. Even world-class athletes can stay in this zone for only a few minutes at a time. It's not a zone most people will select for exercise since working out here hurts and there is an increased potential for injury.
I pretty much live my entire life in Zone 4 and 5. It's just my nature to do everything at full speed! After testing out my HR monitor this past weekend on a bike ride and run, I realized that I was always in Zone 4 and 5. I did a 9 mile run and my average pulse was 167bpm. I'm burning a lot of carbs but It's not the most effective training method for extended periods of time. Ideally you want to train in the aerobic stage 3. By training within your aerobic threshold you're burning a higher ratio of fat to carbs. Fat burning is the most efficient source of fuel in your body so if you can teach it to primarily burn fat, you'll be a more effect athlete.
I am a self inflicted victim of over training. Actually, I shouldn't say I'm a victim. Being ignorant doesn't make you a victim. It just makes you uneducated. Anyways, back to my point. This is a common occurrence in most Type "A" personality types and endurance athletes. I know from experience that the old school train of thought to achieve optimal performance was to go all out, every time that you trained. I can remember back to high school when I ran track and cross country. Every single practice was a high tempo, all or nothing workout, day in-day out. I remember getting so frustrated with my times because I was pushing it so hard everyday but not getting any better. If I had known then what I know now, my 4:45 mile could have been much faster. The Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda's (it's a good book- read it!) in life won't get you anywhere. So here's what I've learned and how I'm going to make sure I don't hit the same walls in my training again.
HR training is broken out into five different zones. Training in each of these different zones will give you different results.
Zone 1: 50-60% of Max HR This is the safest, most comfortable zone, reached by walking briskly. Here you strengthen your heart and improve muscle mass while you reduce body fat, cholesterol, blood pressure, and your risk for degenerative disease. You get healthier in this zone, but not more fit -- that is, it won't increase your endurance or strength but it will increase your health.
Zone 2: 60-70% of Max HR It's easily reached by jogging slowly. While still a relatively low level of effort, this zone starts training your body to increase the rate of fat release from the cells to the muscles for fuel.
Some people call this the "fat burning zone" because up to 85 % of the total calories burned in this zone are fat calories which is equally as important.
Zone 3: The Aerobic Zone 70-80% of Max HR In this zone -- reached by running easily as an example -- you improve your functional capacity. The number and size of your blood vessels actually increase, you step up your lung capacity and respiratory rate, and your heart increases in size and strength so you can exercise longer before becoming fatigued. You're still metabolizing fats and carbohydrates at about a 50-50 rate which means both are burning at the same ratio.
Zone 4: The Anaerobic Threshold 80-90% of Max HR Here you get faster and fitter, increasing your heart rate as you cross from aerobic to anaerobic training. This is where you "feel the burn." You can stay in this zone for a limited amount of time, usually not more than an hour. That's because the muscle just cannot sustain working anaerobically (this means without sufficient oxygen) without fatiguing.
Zone 5: The Redline Zone 90-100% of Max HR This is the equivalent of running all out and is used mostly as an "interval" training regiment -- exertion done only in short to intermediate length bursts. Even world-class athletes can stay in this zone for only a few minutes at a time. It's not a zone most people will select for exercise since working out here hurts and there is an increased potential for injury.
I pretty much live my entire life in Zone 4 and 5. It's just my nature to do everything at full speed! After testing out my HR monitor this past weekend on a bike ride and run, I realized that I was always in Zone 4 and 5. I did a 9 mile run and my average pulse was 167bpm. I'm burning a lot of carbs but It's not the most effective training method for extended periods of time. Ideally you want to train in the aerobic stage 3. By training within your aerobic threshold you're burning a higher ratio of fat to carbs. Fat burning is the most efficient source of fuel in your body so if you can teach it to primarily burn fat, you'll be a more effect athlete.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
11.6 mile run
Trying to see if this works. Here is the run I do twice for a total of 11.6 miles to train for the hills at Atomic Man Half Ironman. My first loop has been about 43 minutes and my second loop I try to do 41 minutes. I'm mentally making myself run slower the first lap so I can push the last lap really hard. Overall it keeps me between 7 and 7:30/mile pace. Not that bad for the terrain. If you click on 'View Elevation' I think you can see the elevation changes on the run.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
The Streak Is Broken!
I have not had any fast food or soft drinks for over 9 months.... until today. In the midst of self pity and loathing, I drove to Wendy's. It was definitely premeditated. It's not like I was driving down the road and was lured in by some fancy billboard picturing a large burger and fries. It was 10:30 in the morning and I said, screw it! I am eating my feelings today! To commemorate this epic moment, I couldn't just order in the drive thru. I was going to dine-in as if it were a fancy restaurant. I ordered three double stacks, cheese only, large fries, and a coke! Then I got four big cups of ketchup, napkins, and a straw. By this time it was only 10:45am and I had the entire place to myself. The quietness of the restaurant made the music very easy to hear. This was a problem. As I walked around the floor trying to find an area that was furthest from a speaker, I noticed that Wendy's strategically places all their speakers so that each section of tables has a speaker above them. I finally picked a spot by the window where the sun was shining in. I methodically set up my eating station, yes- I said, my eating station. When you have so much food that it takes up an entire table, you need to be organized. It's no longer a table but an eating station. I unwrapped my first burger and I could smell the beef (I think it was at least) and the soft bread. I dipped a side of the burger in ketchup and took a huge bite. I took a deep breath of relaxation like a smoker would after craving a cigarette all day long. But a combination of Celine Dion blaring over me, the warm sun shining through the window on my skin, and the fatty trans saturated heavenly bliss I was slowly consuming, ultimately led to a very depressing feeling. Is this what it's like to eat your feelings? I had become weak and vulnerable. My selfish urges got the best of me today and won. I'm already admitting defeat and it's only 12:15pm. I'm definitely not practicing what I preach. I hate my job right now, I want a career change, I really don't know what that career change is, and I'd rather just take the easy way out of things. And today, I did just that. I took the easy way out and got fast food. Nine months of resisting temptation is down the drain. Hopefully tomorrow will be day #1 of eating healthy again.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
slow down...?
A few months ago I signed up for a Twitter account. I basically keep track of all my current events in the triathlon world through this. Also, I usually update what I'm doing or post an interesting article I've read recently. There is an application for Twitter that tracks the words you use most often, hours of the day you've posted comments, who you've responded to, ect. ect. I have sent out 455 tweets or updates on Twitter to date. Of those 455 tweets, the top 5 words I've typed are: work, swim, going, training, and time. In a tie for 6th and 7th place were the words run and bike! For the first few seconds I laughed and thought that it was funny. It's been sitting on my mind now for the past hour and I'm not sure I'm okay with this. Do these 5 words define me as a person? No, I don't think they do. However, the lifestyle that I live closely resembles those words I use most often. The common theme between those 5 words are Go, Go, and Go. I'm constantly on the go. I'm either working, or swimming, or training, or doing something for time. It's pretty clear that I'm out of balance. I'm investing all this time trying to stay busy. Am I taking the time to stop and appreciate what I've been given? This simple thing today has raised so many questions.
Take Back the Beep Campaign
Annoyed with the 15 second voice mail instructions you receive after you listen to the persons voice mail speech? Cell phone companies are making $620 million dollars off of these 15 second caller instructions! This is 2009, we don't need instructions to leave a voice mail! I'm already being redundant so just click the link below. It's worded better than I could write it!
http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/the-mandatory-15-second-voicemail-instructions/#more-1313
http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/the-mandatory-15-second-voicemail-instructions/#more-1313
Monday, July 27, 2009
Inspiration
NBC re aired the 2008 Ford Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii this past weekend. Kona is the place where the Ironman began. A 2.4 mile swim in the ocean with strong currents and waves, a 112 mile bike with wind gusts that can topple a biker over, and a marathon where the pavement can melt through the rubber on your shoes is no walk in the park. However, for the select few, it is the mecca for any triathlete on their quest to compete amongst the best in the world. I don't see how anyone could watch this event and not be inspired. Everyone at Kona has a story to tell. They all have a purpose. To see amputees, cancer survivors, armed forces, professionals, and those who are racing for the dreams of someone else, give every last ounce of energy humanly possible is an eye opening experience. These people are a living testament to determination and heart. The perseverance it takes to just train for an Ironman is astonishing. But for a lot of these people, the training pails in comparison to the personal struggles they've had to face. Hearing all their stories put life in perspective for me. These people didn't quit when they were told they wouldn't walk again. They didn't let obesity stand in their way. They pushed through years of chemo therapy to prove to themselves and the world that they aren't quitters. These people stood up to impossible odds and proved that you can really do anything you put your mind to. All my petty complaining is so pointless and I'm reminded that there are other people who have endured far more than I may endure in an entire life time. They inspire me to do the best I can with what I've been given and to have faith so strong that it can move mountains. This is the story of the father and son team who did Ironman together a few years ago. I hope you enjoy it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDnrLv6z-mM
Ironman training update
I have 64 more days until I have to complete a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and a 13.1 mile run. It's no longer a question of "if" I can do this. I already train at these distances during my work week. More importantly, it's a question of "how fast" can I complete the 70.3 miles of pain. Last week I successfully logged 6,100 yards of swimming, 120 miles on the bike, and 20 miles of running. My main focus on the swim and bike has been distance and endurance while my running has been focused on speed. With September 27 rapidly approaching, I am feeling more confident about beating my estimated goal of 5 hours and 15 minutes. My outlook for this week: I am keeping my swim and bike distances the same as last week but increasing the miles I run from 20 to 35. I want to sustain the same work rate in swimming and biking while increasing my running miles. My brick work out, a long bike followed immediately by a run, will increase to a run that is 20% of my bike. Comparatively this will be closer to what I'll experience in the half Ironman. A 13.1 mile run is 23.39% of a 56 mile bike. I'd like to work up to this ratio so my training closely mirrors the fatigue I'll feel on race day. I think in the next 3 weeks I'll top out and begin to taper. Until then it's full steam ahead!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Moving a Pool Table
My bachelor pad has been lacking one imperative ingredient... a pool table! My room mate and I found a good deal on an 8 foot pool table on craigslist a few weeks ago. It was valued new at over $1500 and we talked the seller from $250 to $150. The seller warned us several times that it was extremely heavy and would take several strong men to move the pool table from their second floor to my house. Being the confident optimist, I was positive that a few guys could easily get this monster pool table home. Once I assembled my "army" of three men, we loaded up in my truck and headed over to get the pool table. **If this were a movie, the current scene would freeze and the narrator would walk in front of the camera to let the audience know something the actors didn't. It's this little bit of insight that keeps the viewer engrossed in the train wreck that's about to unfold.** So.... we get to the house and are greeted by the seller and his wife. They take us upstairs to their game room and we see this magnificent and gigantic pool table. Nobody really says anything at first. We walk circles around the pool table as if we're stalking our prey and sizing it up for dinner. Words need not be spoken. An occasional eye contact with the person across the table said it all. Everyone was thinking the same thing. What did we just get ourselves into!? The entire pool table had to be disassembled down to the nuts and bolts. Fortunately that was the easy part. Figuring out a way to successfully get the 800 pound slab of slate down the stairs and into my truck was the catch. We did not have enough man power to do this safely. The slab was so heavy that we couldn't pick it up in the horizontal direction it was on the pool table. Otherwise, the slab would buckle right down the middle. We had to carry it vertically down the stairs to avoid breaking the pool table in half! After 2 1/2 hours of brainstorming, dismantling, and narrowly escaping being crushed by an 800 pound slab of slate, the pool table was in the back of my truck and we were headed home. It only took about half the time to reassemble the pool table as it did to take it apart. Four hours later, two boxes of pizza, and one hundred times "i'm so sorry ya'll," the pool table was finally in it's new home! Moral to the story is: Do not ever buy a pool table unless you have professional movers to do it for you. The juice definitely was not worth the squeeze.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Shoes and Women
Yes, women love shoes but this has nothing to do with what is currently on my mind! Allow me to explain. Have you ever tried to be so careful not to make a mistake that you end up by making a complete mess of everything? If so then allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ryan Carter and I am the king of making messes. I keep envisioning a scene where the last thing you're told as you carry the cake to the table is, "whatever you do, don't drop it!" You focus so hard on not dropping the cake that you overlook some rather obvious signs that scream, you're going to drop it stupid! I've recently run into this situation and it's a lonely feeling to drop the cake. This reminds me of the lyrics in a 38 Special song from the early 1980's, "hold on loosely but don't let go, if you cling to tightly, you're gonna loose control." I remember as a kid we would usually get a new pair of shoes at the start of each new school year. I would be extremely diligent to keep the shoes as white as possible. I'd avoid puddles, wet areas, dirt, mud, and grass. I would try so hard to keep the shoes as spotless as possible. Even with the attention to detail I was giving the shoes, the inevitable would always happen. When I least expected it, a huge stain would seem to fall from the sky and land on my spotless shoes that I tried so hard to keep clean. I can still picture the look on my face and the feeling I felt each time this happened. You see, when I go shoe shopping, I am looking for the pair of shoes that personify Ryan Carter! And when I find those shoes, I am so proud of them because to me, they're perfect and I don't want anything to happen to them. Eventually they become scuffed and worn. However, even with their blemishes, I still think they're perfect. I've noticed that I've inadvertently treated some of my relationships like this. I know that I'm about to tie together shoe shopping and dating so I apologize for the predictability of where this will go. But seriously though, I'm picky about my shoes and women. So when I actually find a girl worth spending my time with, I'm really excited about living in those moments. And it should be exciting. It's like getting a new pair of shoes. However, I try really hard not to mess things up and I end up by doing exactly that. I dropped the cake. I held on too tightly and I lost control. That's usually where things end for me and it's rare that I recover fast enough to do anything about it. Therefore, the impression I've given is not accurate nor is it a predictor of how things will be in the future. I usually loosen up and let things move around more freely but it's difficult at first. If my relationships ever get past this stage, the wind is in my sails and things move along just fine. Overtime you'll have arguments, disagreements and the person you once thought of as perfect has a few annoying qualities! The shoes will get a few grass stains on them and their pretty white color vanishes but the feelings and reasons for choosing them still remain. I think this is an important aspect to keep in mind as your relationships progress and mature. Long story long, I drop a lot of cakes. Fortunately the local grocery store has an endless supply of cake mixes...and that keeps me looking forward and staying positive.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
84 Days to Atomic Man Half IronMan
Distractions. My life has recently been filled with a lot of distractions. Between concerts, late nights, trips to the lake and relationships, I can't find a steady rhythm. It would help if I had someone to keep me accountable for my training but I'm the lone captain of this ship. Overall my training has been sub par. Sure, I train everyday but it hasn't been the quality workouts I've desired. This week I need to swim 6000 yards, bike 110 miles, and run 30 miles. It will be a major test of will and desire to pull out these numbers. My motivation is at an all time low and I'm having to fight back the urge to quit with all my might. I need a spark. Something or someone to light a fire under my ass and get me going again. For the past 6 moths I've got up at 5am to run, swam on my lunch breaks, and biked in all sorts of horrid weather conditions in the evenings, all by myself. My recent feelings toward training are a direct correlation with how everything else is going in my life. I don't really know what to do with anything- my job, career, relationships, future, and my seriousness towards Ironman events. I think the day in day out mental breakdowns in my training are getting to me. I need to regroup and get my head back on straight. I'll be more disappointed with a poor performance in my half ironman race in September knowing I didn't put everything I have into it. That should be motivation enough to keep me going.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Watch out for that....VAN!
I'll skip straight to the climax of the story.... I got hit by a van Friday morning on my run. And that's about where the story ends. After my bike ride I went for a 6 mile run and as I was rounding the back side of Lipscomb University, a green van pulled out of the parking lot and didn't see me crossing. I jumped at the last second, landed square in the middle of the hood and rolled to the other side where I rolled a few more times on the pavement. The lady driving the van just looked at me and drove off. She probably didn't have insurance and wasn't an American citizen. Somehow I got up with not scratches at all! I did get the last laugh however. My butt made a large crater on the front of her hood! It should be pooling up with water every time it rains! Now that I know what it feels like to get hit by a vehicle, I'm really not scared of getting hit again. I dare someone to actually. Go ahead, hit me, and then you can pay for me to get new truck, pay off my college debt and maybe even pay for my kids college one day. I just need to get hit by someone with a lot of money. Not an illegal alien. My desk at work has proved to be more lethal (skittle bump blog post)!
4th of July minus fireworks of any kind
It's been years since I could say I had a really fun 4th of July. As a kid growing up in Angleton, our family would meet several other families from church and watch fireworks from the parking lot of Academy in Lake Jackson. I can remember throwing around a football and probably driving our parents insane with all the running around. The only time we sat still was when the fireworks began to go off. I don't remember anything after the grand finale though. I'm sure it has something to do with expending so much energy in anticipation that when the show was over, I was out like a light. My parents were probably very grateful for this. In fact, somethings never change. I feel as though I am still like this today. I get so excited about a certain event or anything really, that when it's over I'm completely exhausted. This years 4th of July started off on a good note but ended rather anti climatic. Since I had Friday off from work, I went to the IMAX theatre to see Transformers 2 and then proceeded to play the guitar till really late. On Friday I went for a 30 mile bike ride followed by a 6 mile run. I rested for about an hour and met my friend for a cross fit training session. We jogged 2 miles down to the gym, did circuit weight training with 3 half mile jogs, and jogged 2 miles back home. Overall I ran 11.5 miles! Then I headed down to Tim's Ford Lake to spend time with a friends family and wakeboard. The family who owns this lake house is very nice. They make me feel like I'm family every time I go down there. My 4th of July weekend quickly became an early Thanksgiving my first night at the lake. We had Fajitas, grilled corn, queso, blackberry cobbler and ice cream, chocolate brownie pies, cup cakes, and all the lemonade your stomach could handle! After a good night sleep I woke up and did an open water swim for about 30 minutes. I know I didn't get a mile in because I was swimming rather slowly. New territory always makes me a little weary when I'm swimming in the middle of a lake with boats. Once I got back from my swim, breakfast was no different than dinner the night before. I felt like I was at Cracker Barrel! We went back out on the lake again and called it a day around mid afternoon. Once I got home I began to feel guilty for just sitting around. So I put on all my bike gear and started to head outside when the bottom opened up. Not wanting to mess with biking in the rain, I crawled back in bed and watched TV for a few hours. I was supposed to head downtown to a roof top party overlooking the fireworks area downtown. However, the rain was still coming down and the thought of having to navigate all the traffic and get rained on didn't sound appealing. However, a friend of mine convinced me that I was being a woman and this would be a big mistake on my part. So I took a shower, ironed out some clothes, got dressed, walked out the door only to turn right back around and go inside. I just wasn't feeling it this year. SO... I ordered a monster pizza from Domino's and watched tv alone in the dark. The weekend definitely had potential to be incredible but Saturday evening was the buzz kill that rained on my parade, literally! Even though sparks didn't fly and fireworks didn't explode on my Saturday night, I did make good use of my free time. I ate a lot of food, spent time with good friends and rested well. That in itself is pretty great in my opinion.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Honduras Mission Trip
I've been making a serious attempt at working on myself this year. 2008 was horrid and I never want to wake up again and wonder, why have I wasted another year?! I understand the importance of living the life of a servant but I don't understand the potential impact it can have on me. I work with Nashville Inner City Ministries and have seen first hand the unfortunate situations that these kids are raised in. Unfortunately, I have not seen the worst of how our world lives. Most kids would be grateful to have the lives that some poor people have here in America. That's how bad the standard of living is in some countries. About two months ago, I made the decision to go on my first mission trip outside of the U.S. This is a big step for me. In the past 8 months I've made the decision to stop making excuses for not living a purpose driven life. I will accompany the Harpeth Hills congregation to Tegucigalpa, Honduras. We will be building two houses and working with the children in the village. One area of concern is the current situation in Tegucigalpa. If you've been watching the news recently, the Honduran president was kidnapped and sent to Costa Rica. The new president has been appointed the power to lead while negations are being made to return the previous president back to power. The new leadership has begun approving constitutional changes that will start to turn Honduras into a military state, at least temporarily. If the new leadership proves itself to be too aggressive or if the Venezuelan leader (Hugo Chavez) makes good on his threat to forcibly place Zelaya back in power, we may have to make a serious adjustment to our plan. Please be praying about this situation and for all of the people caught up in it in Honduras.
Impulsive Decisions
A few weeks ago Southwest had a deal to celebrate their 35th year of being in business. To commemorate this day, they offered $35 dollar tickets to almost every Southwest destination. When I saw that I could fly from Nashville to Chicago for $35 dollars, a brilliant idea came to mind. Why don't I buy a ticket to see a day game at Wrigley field and fly back in the same day! Completely genius! After about 5 minutes of searching for a day game that would fit my schedule and the designated dates on Southwest, I had purchased 2 round trip tickets to Chicago and set a date for the game! I am flying to Chicago on July 30th to see the Houston Astros play the Chicago Cubs. Here's the dilemma... what team do I root for? I am from Houston, Texas and have always been an Astros fan. There's no dilemma in that statement but here's the kicker. There is a girl... it's been the root of all my problems since puberty! Kidding but half serious though! Back to my point, there is a girl that i've been interested in for sometime and things have progressed where I asked her to be my date for the game. She is also a huge Cubs fan and knows everything about them. As much as I'd love to root for the Astros, I wouldn't want to be heckled by all the Chicago fans (which I hear they can be rather fiesty!) and my date for the day (which I'm learning rather quickly that she can be pretty feisty!) Also, my dad is a St. Louis Cardinals fan. Not just a fan, a walking encyclopedia of Cardinal baseball facts. He can roll off every world series championship year without pausing, their starting line ups and other random facts about players. Evidently Cardinal fans and Cub fans hate each other. It's a rivalry that has been going on for decades. I'm sure my father knows why but I really don't. Adding to the excitement of this trip is one other detail that will potentially make this the best decision i've ever made. A lot of people dislike the fact that I am always getting in front row, free concert tickets, CMT events, music videos, and sporting events (yes I was just bragging). I don't know how or why it happens. It just does. I just happen to know a lot of important people! When I was at dinner before the Fleetwood Mac concert (tickets were free w/ VIP back stage passes!) the CEO of our company mentioned to me that he has contacts that could get me great seats to the Cubs game. I couldn't pass this opportunity up! These weren't just great seats, they're amazing seats. It's a private box on the 3rd base side behind the cubs dug out! My luck is beginning to be pretty awesome! I'm getting on a plane with no luggage at all, taking a girl who has never been to Wrigley and loves Cubs baseball that I like a lot, sitting in a private box for the game, and flying back to Nashville in the same day! Another epic trip in the works!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Fleetwood Mac Concert
I've been getting a lot of cool opportunities to do some some exciting things. Two weeks ago, the president of our company invited me to see Fleetwood Mac in concert that evening. Believe me, I wasn't his first choice as the girl he was taking bailed on me. Honestly, who cares if I was second choice! I was going to see a classic group perform and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see them. I met our president, the CEO and his wife out for dinner and drinks at a restaurant/bar called Lime. We started off the night with a bottle of wine that was several thousand dollars! Then we had a private car chauffer us to the stadium for the concert. Our seats were incredible! About midway through the show, one of their managers came over to our seats and gave us backstage VIP passes to meet the band after the show. Evidently the owners of our company and the manager for Fleetwood Mac go way back. Once the show was over and people cleared out of the arena, we went backstage and hung out with the band and a few others guests. The night ended with access to a private bar downtown that is a haven to well known political figures and people of status. Not really my kind of hang out spot but I did meet some rather influential people there. It's always interesting to hear another persons story on how they got to where they are today. All in all, this was another adventure I won't ever forget!
Eric Clapton/Steve Windood
My dad bought me a ticket to see Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood in concert last Wednesday night in Houston, Texas. Fortunately I had a free round trip on Southwest to use or otherwise I would struggle with the funds to purchase the flight home. To say I witnessed two of the greatest musicians ever would be an understatement. As a guitar hobbiest, I have a great appreciation for musical talent. Especially when it's music that is about music. Not the current and trendy pop crap we hear today. Although a short trip, it was the break I needed to clear my mind and return to Nashville refreshed. This concert also marked the half way point through the year. I've made it my goal to not let a day go by where I don't take advantage of opportunities to really live. Reflecting back on previous postings, I think I've done a good job at living each day to the fullest.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Skittle Bump
Whenever I get really excited about something, I attack it with full speed. Today, I dropped a Skittle on the floor below my desk. Not just any Skittle, the last red one! And what did I do? I attacked the front of my desk... with my head... at full speed! I either completely forgot about my desk being there or I underestimated the size of my forehead! I let out a grimace that gradually got louder and ended with, "oh no! I think I'm bleeding!" I had created a nasty gash on the front of my head and it was proceeding to bleed everywhere. I had half the office hovering around my desk while 2 ladies administered the office first aid kit to my wounds. My headache was greatly overshadowed by the beating my pride took. I'm 24 years old and I just chased a red Skittle to the point where I split my head open. That's what a 5 year old does. Unfortunately, these incidents happen quite often to me. Nobody was surprised that it happened. It's only a matter of time before I freeze my tongue to frost on a metal pole. To further inflict pain on my open wounds, I was supposed to go to the CMT awards that night. My headache was so bad that I had to miss the show all because I let my 5 year old self loose and it attacked my adult body with full force. I hate it when that happens!
Monday, June 15, 2009
back in action
Life has finally settled down to where I can train effectively and efficiently again. The past month has been filled with an olympic distance triathlon, labor day weekend, moving, and my brother's wedding. Now that my trips are shorter and less strenuous, I can reclaim my drive towards my first ironman. This past week I gradually eased into a structured training schedule. The intensity of my workouts were moderate at best. Summarized: swim- 3 pool swims focusing on form and alternate breathing. Bike- 1 high paced, short distance ride, 1 spin class, and 1 long and slow, 40 mile ride. Run- 3 runs immediately following each bike ride. I wouldn't normally include 3 brick workouts in my training regimen. However, after taking a three week break from training, I needed a good test at what my legs could handle over the next month. As I begin a new week, my legs have recovered well from Sunday's workout that lasted over 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Looking forward, I am increasing my mileage each week for the next four weeks. This will help build my base up. Then I'll taper down for one week and build up for another three weeks. I'll reach a season high max of swimming 6,500 yards, biking 140 miles, and running 40 miles in a week. Taper back for a week and work on quality and speed for the next two weeks. At this point in my training, Atomic Man 70.3 will be in three weeks. I'll change my diet to include fat intake of 35-45% (sounds weird but I'll elaborate in another post.) This diet along with shorter, race pace workouts will teach my body to use it's stored energy more efficiently.
I've designed my training to give me a chance at breaking 5 hours. More specifically, I've dialed my time down to the minute to get a top 10 finish in my first Half Ironman. I'd estimate that proper training gives me about 75% of what I'm capable of enduring come race day. The other 25% includes variables that aren't foreseeable until I'm racing. Some variables can be reduced by pure knowledge and effective training. For example, understanding what my body needs nutritionally and can handle during an endurance race will allow me to make better decisions as I compete. Also, any technical issues that I may encounter like transistions, flat tires, blisters, and chafing (yikes!) can be less threatening if I know how to effectively deal with them. I have purposely left out one factor that can completely throw away an entire race. The only thing that can overwhelm all the hard training and technical knowledge is the voice inside of your head that tells you to quit. Mental strength is by far the number one most import aspect to any endurance event. That's why it's important to train like you're going to race. The more times you put yourself in mentally straining situations during training, the better off you'll be when you experience it during a race.
I'm eagerly waiting for 5 o'clock to roll around so I can leave the desk job and start pushing my training. It starts today!
Looking forward, I am increasing my mileage each week for the next four weeks. This will help build my base up. Then I'll taper down for one week and build up for another three weeks. I'll reach a season high max of swimming 6,500 yards, biking 140 miles, and running 40 miles in a week. Taper back for a week and work on quality and speed for the next two weeks. At this point in my training, Atomic Man 70.3 will be in three weeks. I'll change my diet to include fat intake of 35-45% (sounds weird but I'll elaborate in another post.) This diet along with shorter, race pace workouts will teach my body to use it's stored energy more efficiently.
I've designed my training to give me a chance at breaking 5 hours. More specifically, I've dialed my time down to the minute to get a top 10 finish in my first Half Ironman. I'd estimate that proper training gives me about 75% of what I'm capable of enduring come race day. The other 25% includes variables that aren't foreseeable until I'm racing. Some variables can be reduced by pure knowledge and effective training. For example, understanding what my body needs nutritionally and can handle during an endurance race will allow me to make better decisions as I compete. Also, any technical issues that I may encounter like transistions, flat tires, blisters, and chafing (yikes!) can be less threatening if I know how to effectively deal with them. I have purposely left out one factor that can completely throw away an entire race. The only thing that can overwhelm all the hard training and technical knowledge is the voice inside of your head that tells you to quit. Mental strength is by far the number one most import aspect to any endurance event. That's why it's important to train like you're going to race. The more times you put yourself in mentally straining situations during training, the better off you'll be when you experience it during a race.
I'm eagerly waiting for 5 o'clock to roll around so I can leave the desk job and start pushing my training. It starts today!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Marriage
June 7, 2009- Clinton Thomas Carter: Friend, Brother, Braves Fan, Outdoor Enthusiast. He was survived by 9 groomsmen who were with him through thick and thin, his family, backpacking pack and track spikes. Sadly, Clint made the decision to hang up those track spikes and box away the backpack. He made the daring move from bachelorhood to the last legal form of slavery. He is beginning a journey that many men have started but sadly, only few have stood by their vows of "till death do us part."
That sounded very depressing but I do not apologize for the somber tone reflected in the above paragraph. Although exaggerated for an emotional reaction, the tone is not far from the stigma that marriage undeservingly receives. Who do we blame? Pop Culture that airs the dirty laundry of our favorite actors and actresses who seem to make a living bouncing from one marriage to the next? Maybe it's our generations way of rebelling against common practice and basic moral principals? Or should the blame be found closer to home with, O! dare I say it, our own Parents? Either way you spin the wheel, our current culture isn't placing an emphasis on marriage preservation. Surprisingly though, divorce rates are at an all time low since the 1970's. In fact, fewer people are getting married. In 2005, despite a population increase of 2.9 million, total marriages were down by 50,000 from the prior year. Further, the U.S. has seen a 13% decrease in percentage of population that is married. In 1970, 72% of the U.S. population was married while in 2002, only 59%. One would think that an increase in population and total marriages would be a direct relationship. In fact, we are seeing an inverse relationship between these.
I think it's a cultural shift in the perception of marriage and our personal priorities. Before our parents' time, it was acceptable for a woman to marry young, not get a college degree and be a stay at home mother. Currently, advances in women's liberal rights have given them the same opportunities as men (which they should have). There are more career opportunities for women than there have ever been in our time. Now I'm not saying that marriages are down because we're giving women more career opportunities than just being a stay at home mom. That would be a ridiculous statement. I'm simply presenting changes in our society that play a roll in our relationships. Further, it's possible that the desire to have a successful career has taken priority over a life time, committed relationship. I find that more men and women want to be financially stable and independently set in their careers before making that life long commitment. We've all seen how money and career changes can adversely affect a marriage and it's no wonder why we desire to have those things firmly in place.
After witnessing high divorce rates among our parents, I believe that many people don't want to go through the same things our parents did. For those who have seen first hand the emotional scaring that comes from divorces, it's not wonder so many people are afraid of getting married. Unfortunately, it's a trickle down effect to the way kids treat relationship today. In a recent Men's Health magazine, it polled a shocking but not surprising number of college students who opted for the "friends with benefits" status instead of developing long term relationships. Their outlook, who wouldn't want to have sex with no commitment involved. It's ideal for the self serving way we live our lives. It's no longer about someone else's feelings, it's about mine. And it's that selfish mind set that carries into our personal lives. We've basically cut out the entire middle section of a relationship. A long, long time ago, keeping your virginity till marriage was more sought after than it is today. Instead we skip out on feeling heart broken after a few years or even months of puppy love and skip straight to the fun stuff. It's like getting a book assignment from your teacher and reading the first chapter and skipping to the climatic ending. You see, there is no break up and no divorce when you keep a surface level relationship. In fact, a 2005 statistic shows that 8.9% of coupled households consisted of unmarried, heterosexual partners. That percentage is up almost half of what it was 10 years ago.
What started with a funny intro that would lead into my brother's bachelor party and wedding extravaganza has turned into a ranting and raving, strictly opinion based monologue of where I think marriage is today. I am fully aware that there are many things that affect our opinions and views of current marriages and that not everybody is so doom and gloom about finding someone special to spend the rest of their lives with. Most of my opinions come from the conversations I hear both single and married men having about their current relationship and their views on marriage. So it's not just me with these same views. I'd be curious to see how these trends hold over the next few years.
That sounded very depressing but I do not apologize for the somber tone reflected in the above paragraph. Although exaggerated for an emotional reaction, the tone is not far from the stigma that marriage undeservingly receives. Who do we blame? Pop Culture that airs the dirty laundry of our favorite actors and actresses who seem to make a living bouncing from one marriage to the next? Maybe it's our generations way of rebelling against common practice and basic moral principals? Or should the blame be found closer to home with, O! dare I say it, our own Parents? Either way you spin the wheel, our current culture isn't placing an emphasis on marriage preservation. Surprisingly though, divorce rates are at an all time low since the 1970's. In fact, fewer people are getting married. In 2005, despite a population increase of 2.9 million, total marriages were down by 50,000 from the prior year. Further, the U.S. has seen a 13% decrease in percentage of population that is married. In 1970, 72% of the U.S. population was married while in 2002, only 59%. One would think that an increase in population and total marriages would be a direct relationship. In fact, we are seeing an inverse relationship between these.
I think it's a cultural shift in the perception of marriage and our personal priorities. Before our parents' time, it was acceptable for a woman to marry young, not get a college degree and be a stay at home mother. Currently, advances in women's liberal rights have given them the same opportunities as men (which they should have). There are more career opportunities for women than there have ever been in our time. Now I'm not saying that marriages are down because we're giving women more career opportunities than just being a stay at home mom. That would be a ridiculous statement. I'm simply presenting changes in our society that play a roll in our relationships. Further, it's possible that the desire to have a successful career has taken priority over a life time, committed relationship. I find that more men and women want to be financially stable and independently set in their careers before making that life long commitment. We've all seen how money and career changes can adversely affect a marriage and it's no wonder why we desire to have those things firmly in place.
After witnessing high divorce rates among our parents, I believe that many people don't want to go through the same things our parents did. For those who have seen first hand the emotional scaring that comes from divorces, it's not wonder so many people are afraid of getting married. Unfortunately, it's a trickle down effect to the way kids treat relationship today. In a recent Men's Health magazine, it polled a shocking but not surprising number of college students who opted for the "friends with benefits" status instead of developing long term relationships. Their outlook, who wouldn't want to have sex with no commitment involved. It's ideal for the self serving way we live our lives. It's no longer about someone else's feelings, it's about mine. And it's that selfish mind set that carries into our personal lives. We've basically cut out the entire middle section of a relationship. A long, long time ago, keeping your virginity till marriage was more sought after than it is today. Instead we skip out on feeling heart broken after a few years or even months of puppy love and skip straight to the fun stuff. It's like getting a book assignment from your teacher and reading the first chapter and skipping to the climatic ending. You see, there is no break up and no divorce when you keep a surface level relationship. In fact, a 2005 statistic shows that 8.9% of coupled households consisted of unmarried, heterosexual partners. That percentage is up almost half of what it was 10 years ago.
What started with a funny intro that would lead into my brother's bachelor party and wedding extravaganza has turned into a ranting and raving, strictly opinion based monologue of where I think marriage is today. I am fully aware that there are many things that affect our opinions and views of current marriages and that not everybody is so doom and gloom about finding someone special to spend the rest of their lives with. Most of my opinions come from the conversations I hear both single and married men having about their current relationship and their views on marriage. So it's not just me with these same views. I'd be curious to see how these trends hold over the next few years.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Why I Tri
In 2008, after a series of life changing events, I had a breakdown moment. I said, enough is enough, Ryan. I will no longer make excuses for not living a meaningful life. I had become a waste of space and a complaining, whining, "the whole world is out to get me" person. I had become the person I said I never wanted to be and it took me losing some important things and people in my life to see this. Like my previous post, I took inventory of everything in my life. I made the decision to get rid of the clutter and cut the fat. I also wrote down what I am really passionate about and the God given talents that i've been blessed with. Physically writing these things down on paper was the best thing I could have done for myself. I wanted to use everything I had been given and incorporate everything I love into something meaningful so that I would no longer be a wasteful human being. I realize that a great sacrifice was made for me and to let some of my gifts go to waste is completely unacceptable. My list clearly showed that I had a love for the outdoors, extreme sports, and pushing my limits. What better way to incorporate all these things than to start training for Ironman's. It's not that I love swimming, biking, and running. I actually hate running, i'd rather be on a surfboard than swimming and why bike when you can just drive! The fact that I promised myself to not be wasteful with the life i've been given is what drives me to train for these ironman races. It's the ultimate testament to what i've been blessed with. I have the natural ability to excel at endurance sports and I love being outdoors. I think triathlons are the perfect combination of these two things. The training has also completely changed my lifestyle. I am more conscience about my health. It's not just watching what I eat but how I live my life. I've cut back on a lot of excess things I was doing to myself. 1cor. 9:24-27 talks about training for a race. Everyone else is running a race for material items, but i'm training for a prize much greater that any worldly possession could ever offer. In a nut shell, that's why I tri. Triathlons have been a great tool for me to use myself in a way that is pleasing in God's eyes. And that's what I strive for everyday.
"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say 'I used everything You gave me'" -Erma Bombeck
"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say 'I used everything You gave me'" -Erma Bombeck
Monday, June 1, 2009
Moving
The past week has been very busy for me. As some of you know, i've been in the process of looking for a new place to live. I finally found a really nice house in a great neighborhood. The current tenants of the house couldn't move out until Thursday of this past week and I had to be out of my house by Saturday so another person could move in. It's exhausting me all over again just to type this! Being the organized person I am, I started moving with my house in a complete mess! I had no clean clothes, all my dishes were dirty, and everything seemed to be on the floor in no particular order! This made moving a very efficient process (insert sarcasm). I started moving Friday evening after work at 6pm and I didn't stop till 6:30 am that next morning! Yes, that's correct! I was up for 24 hours and worked on moving for a solid 12! It was one of the single most painful experiences i've ever been through. Part of what took so long was that I took a lot of time to read old notes and cards and things i've boxed away for years. It was reminiscent to look back on where I had been and to think about how i've gotten here today. Moving was also a great opportunity for me to get rid of a lot of clutter that had accumulated over the years. Out of all the frustrations I encountered on my move, this was the single most rewarding aspect. I've found that it is incredibly easy to hold onto material items that add zero benefit to our lives. I find it funny how we hold on to things of no value. Moving this past week allowed me to take inventory of what I was keeping around. Some good, some bad, but for the most part I had a lot of junk that didn't need to be there. It felt good to let go of the past and move on. To start over on a new foot and a lighter load. Even if you're not moving, I see a great deal of importance in occasionally taking inventory of what you have. You'll surprise yourself with how much better if feels to let go of the stuff that's weighing you down and literally filling up your closet space!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Just Can't Stop!
Just when I thought I had all the sporting equipment to meet my "high octane" needs, I discovered something new last night. Next to the surfboard, wakeboard, snowboards, golf bag, tennis rackets, fishing poles, back packing gear, triathlon bike, mountain bike, wet suits, soccer cleats, and running shoes will be a spot for a BMX bike! After my open water swim and run yesterday I saw some people practicing at the BMX park. After watching a few runs I was immediately floored! I wanted a bike and I wanted to ride! You go so fast and the sport seems really technical and competitive. Just what I need! Another adrenaline infused sport to throw money at! I don't know what it is about my personality that compels me to chase after anything with excitement. This may expalin why my relationships with women are short lived... but that's another topic for another day. I can't help it though. I find it thrilling to push my limits and fully enjoy life. My way of enjoying life is to be outside, experiencing nature through exhilarating sports. Since we're on the subject, here is a list of things I'd really like to try before one of these current sports I do kills me first!
• wing suit sky diving aka proximity flying
• swim with/feed sharks
• kite board
• fly my own plane
• experience zero gravity
• ride in a fighter jet
• summit Mt. Everest
• Ride a lap around Daytona @ 200 mph
• tow in surfing at Mavericks or Teahupoo
• hang glide
• scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef
• Heli boarding trip
• Kona IronMan
What do you want to do?
• wing suit sky diving aka proximity flying
• swim with/feed sharks
• kite board
• fly my own plane
• experience zero gravity
• ride in a fighter jet
• summit Mt. Everest
• Ride a lap around Daytona @ 200 mph
• tow in surfing at Mavericks or Teahupoo
• hang glide
• scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef
• Heli boarding trip
• Kona IronMan
What do you want to do?
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Memorial Day Weekend
Memorial Day weekend was a blast! I went to a friends wedding on Saturday and saw some old buddies of mine that I hadn't seen in a while. The guy that was getting married was Canadian and all his family and friends flew in from Canada. Boy can those people drink! The reception was at the club house of a golf course and somebody had the brilliant idea of sneaking into the golf shop, taking some pitching wedges and hitting range balls! After the wedding I drove down to Tims Ford Lake to a friends lake house. I was hoping everyone would still be up but evidently 2:30 am was too late! I fixed breakfast for everyone the next morning and we proceeded to spend the next 48 hours on the water! Wakeboarding and wake surfing are my two favorite summer time activities and this weekend I logged several hours behind the boat doing just that. With the music playing on the boat, some close friends, sunshine and beautiful scenery, I couldn't have had a better weekend!
First Taste of Xterra
Last Thursday I borrowed my room mates very expensive mountain bike and went to Hamilton Creek to ride around. This was my first time to ever mountain bike and I was pretty excited about it considering I'll be doing a triathlon in a month or so that involves a trail ride. I've heard that Hamilton Creek has some very technical trails but my ego was way bigger than any trail I could possibly imagine. Honestly, besides swimming, I pick up on new sports extremely fast and usually excel at them. I wish I had before and after pictures of this day because I went into the trail head scratch free and came out looking like I've been put through garbage disposal! I started off on the beginner trails and got to my first technical rock garden. I slowly approached the section and just as I was going over the first set of rocks, my back tire began to lift off the ground and I slowly began to roll forward over my handle bars and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it! Did I mention that I am wearing shoes that allow me to clip into the pedals. In other words, I'm attached to the bike! Luckily I came out of the pedals before I flew over the handle bars. Laying on my face with the bike a few feet away, I took a deep breath and picked my pride off the dirt. I had officially met my match. Most people would just walk back to the car but this sparked an animal inside of me that wanted more. Since I survived my first wreck, I wanted to go faster and hit bigger, more technical sections of the course. I eventually got the hang of going down hill over large rocks and logs on the beginner section. That was enough confidence for me to try the advanced/expert course. It's a 6 mile loop that includes 3 emergency stations and a heli pad for life flight. I basically played pin ball through the entire 6 miles of grueling hills, rocks and trees. Evidently your speed and the gear you're in is very critical. If you go to slow down a steep rock section, you can go over the front of your bars (which I did twice) and if you go too fast, you'll be out of control and won't be able to hold your line. Completely exhausted, I made it back to the trail head and loaded up my bike. I looked down at my legs and I had tire tread on the back of both, rock scrapes that were on the front of my legs, 2 of which made me bleed pretty good, fire ant bites on my arms, a few scratches on my face from low hanging limbs, and a partially bruised ego! Overall I was pretty stoked about coming out alive! I actually like the fact that I royally sucked! It gives me motivation to get better and go back to conquer more difficult areas of the trail. I've got a lot to learn before my first race!
Friend In the Front yard
Once I got home from Mt. Biking last week, I hobbled my scraped and bruised body down to the mail box at the end of my drive way. After shuffling through the junk mail I had received, I noticed something moving around in the grass. There in front of me was a baby rabbit hopping around in yard. I got down on one knee and tried calling it towards me as if it were a dog. Thinking about it now, that made no sense! However, this seemingly unconventional technique was working. The rabbit hopped right up to where I was standing at the edge of the road. I feared this was too close to the road so I moved into the middle of the front yard and sat down. The baby rabbit came right over to me and began to hop around me in circles. He then started crawling around on my legs and once he seemed comfortable around me, I was able to pick him up in my hands and hold it. I knew that people wouldn't believe that a rabbit just came up to me and played for a while without some pictures. Luckily I had my camera phone and tried to take several pictures of me holding the rabbit. Unfortunately my neighbors and any passing cars probably saw something completely different. After biking I had taken off my shirt and bike shoes and put them on the tail gate of my truck. I was only wearing my spandex bike shorts. So as people were out for a walk or driving past my house, the only thing they saw was a guy laying out in a front yard taking pictures of himself! Shirtless! I probably looked like the biggest tool ever! I don't know what it was about this experience that got me so thrilled. Maybe the fact that this is a wild animal... even if it's found in the suburbs of Nashville! Secondly, I appreciated the innocence and trustworthiness of this baby animal. If you've ever tried to get close to an adult rabbit, it always runs away. But this rabbit had so much curiosity that I really enjoyed. It was beginning to get dark and I had to go back inside. When I got half way back to my door I turned around the the rabbit was right on my heels going down the drive way! For some reason I felt sad. I don't know why this emotion came over me but it seemed as though the rabbit wanted to play some more! I actually felt bad about leaving it in the yard. I'm sure this rabbit got a scolding from his mother because she was sitting in the front yard watching my every move. The next morning as I was pulling out of the drive way for work, I saw him and his mother in the front yard. I actually waved good bye in a humorous manner as I drove down the street! Moral to the story: Being able to find joy and excitement in your everyday life is definitely a key to happiness. This is impossible though if you keep your eyes closed and your heart shut.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
An Overdetermined Phenomenon
(an excellent description written by Matt Fitzgerald on the fascination with endurance sports) The term "overdetermined" applies to phenomena that have more than enough causes to explain their existence. In other words, an overdetermined phenomenon is one that might still exist even if you subtracted one or more of its apparent causes.
The potency of the dream of qualifying for the Hawaii Ironman is probably one such phenomenon. At least that's what I believe after interviewing Michael Atkinson, PhD, a sociologist at England's Loughborough University whose research focuses on explaining why endurance athletes train and race. I contacted Atkinson last week specifically to ask for his take on why so many men and women around the world get caught up in the quest for Kona. Atkinson, I found, approaches the question in slightly different terms, more like, "Why did the Hawaii Ironman catch on after its inaugural staging in 1978?" He places the birth and growth of this event in the context of the broader individual and extreme sports explosion that popularized everything from windsurfing to mountain biking at about the same time.
Atkinson, who became a distance runner and a triathlete himself for the sake of his ethnographic work, sees a laundry list of factors ranging from the rapid growth of the service sector economy to the landmark women's sports opportunity legislastion, Title IX, factoring into the phenomenon. He calls it a "perfect storm" of social and economic factors coming together.
I can't share too much of the interview because I'm using it in my book, Kona or Bust, which chronicles my individual quest for Kona as a vehicle to capture the universal essence of this overdetermined phenomenon. But here are a couple of choice excerpts:
I’m really fascinated with suffering. You don’t go into an Ironman thinking, Tra-la-la-la-la, this is going to feel fantastic. You know it’s going to ache. Learning to like that ache becomes part of the process. And if you want to look at why, most of the people who become engrossed with the long-distance events come from middle-class backgrounds and have middle-class work ethics and ideas about setting goals and about learning to achieve a sense of identity not only though the business and family things that they do but through leisure pursuits as well. So if I can set goals and train toward them and work my body toward them, that just reaffirms my identity elsewhere. I’m a person who can set goals, plan things out. I have will and determination, and that really sets me apart from the herd.
And what’s interesting to me too is that when I first got into these groups I expected to encounter a lot of arrogance, but I didn’t. There are really a lot of humble people who just really like doing what they do and enjoy that suffering. In our culture we are told that suffering is a bad thing, and you should never do it. But these people say to me that when you discover that suffering isn’t going to kill you, a lot of really important things about yourself are revealed to you. You learn a ton about who you are and what you’re capable of, not just physically but also mentally. This becomes a vehicle of self-exploration.
The potency of the dream of qualifying for the Hawaii Ironman is probably one such phenomenon. At least that's what I believe after interviewing Michael Atkinson, PhD, a sociologist at England's Loughborough University whose research focuses on explaining why endurance athletes train and race. I contacted Atkinson last week specifically to ask for his take on why so many men and women around the world get caught up in the quest for Kona. Atkinson, I found, approaches the question in slightly different terms, more like, "Why did the Hawaii Ironman catch on after its inaugural staging in 1978?" He places the birth and growth of this event in the context of the broader individual and extreme sports explosion that popularized everything from windsurfing to mountain biking at about the same time.
Atkinson, who became a distance runner and a triathlete himself for the sake of his ethnographic work, sees a laundry list of factors ranging from the rapid growth of the service sector economy to the landmark women's sports opportunity legislastion, Title IX, factoring into the phenomenon. He calls it a "perfect storm" of social and economic factors coming together.
I can't share too much of the interview because I'm using it in my book, Kona or Bust, which chronicles my individual quest for Kona as a vehicle to capture the universal essence of this overdetermined phenomenon. But here are a couple of choice excerpts:
I’m really fascinated with suffering. You don’t go into an Ironman thinking, Tra-la-la-la-la, this is going to feel fantastic. You know it’s going to ache. Learning to like that ache becomes part of the process. And if you want to look at why, most of the people who become engrossed with the long-distance events come from middle-class backgrounds and have middle-class work ethics and ideas about setting goals and about learning to achieve a sense of identity not only though the business and family things that they do but through leisure pursuits as well. So if I can set goals and train toward them and work my body toward them, that just reaffirms my identity elsewhere. I’m a person who can set goals, plan things out. I have will and determination, and that really sets me apart from the herd.
And what’s interesting to me too is that when I first got into these groups I expected to encounter a lot of arrogance, but I didn’t. There are really a lot of humble people who just really like doing what they do and enjoy that suffering. In our culture we are told that suffering is a bad thing, and you should never do it. But these people say to me that when you discover that suffering isn’t going to kill you, a lot of really important things about yourself are revealed to you. You learn a ton about who you are and what you’re capable of, not just physically but also mentally. This becomes a vehicle of self-exploration.
Shin Splints
I've always had shin splints when I ran. I can remember getting them as far back as middle school. It was just something I put up with. Now i'm getting to the point where i'm serious about IM's and i'm consistently having set backs because of the way my legs are performing in a run. I decided to go see the guys at Fleet Feet in Brentwood, TN to get their insight on my shin splints. They suggested I use one of these highly compacted styrofoam cylinders and place my body weight on it to roll out the tightness in my shins. You get in a semi push up position with one shin on top of the cylinder and your other leg on top of it for added weight. Then you roll your body back and forth so that the cylinder makes it's way up and down the leg. It's basically like a deep tissue massage. After trying that last night I woke up this morning to find that my legs felt surprisingly great. I had worked the majority of the soreness out. Today on my lunch break I broke out the new Saucony Type A2's that came in the mail the day before and did a short track workout. 2X800 and 2X400 with active rest @ 75% of my run splits. Other than my legs being tired from this past Sunday's olympic distance triathlon and yesterday's 5am track workout and kick drills in the pool, I felt as if my times were significantly faster and my shins didn't feel the way they did yesterday. Hopefully with some care and attention I can work these shin splints out of my system for good. Other ailments: my lower back has been feeling a lot better partially because i've laid off the bike over the past 2 weeks. I know I need to get properly fitted and possibly need a whole new set up but the expense is outrageous. I'll end up spending several hundred on the bike fitting and necessary upgrades or spending a few thousand on a new Cervelo. I've always said, "it's not the machine, it's the person using it." However, the science and technology behind aerodynamics and efficiency in endurance sports can vastly improve your times on the swim, bike, and run by simply upgrading your gear. In a sport where seconds, ounces, and speed matter a tremendous amount, I want my gear to perform at the same level I am. This memorial day weekend i'm wakeboarding at a friends lake house Fri-Mon. It'll be a excellent opportunity to relax because the next 2 months of training will be exceptionally difficult.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
L•I•V•I•N•G
Last night I went to Endurance Sports to listen to professional Xterra/Triathlon athletes talk about their sports and give some novices some insight. Before the discussion began, I was standing by myself just looking around at all the expensive gear when I was approached by one on the pro's. He introduced himself as Dan Hugo. We talked about the differences between his hometown in South Africa and America and some general triathlon stuff. But what really struck me the most was the sincerity and genuineness of his personality. He sincerely wanted to know what I did and why I liked doing triathlons. The conversation seemed to be going the opposite direction of how I anticipated one would with a person of his caliber. Usually I'd just ask questions and they'd just talk about themselves. This particular instance was surprisingly different. Once we finished out little conversation, I still didn't know exactly who he was or how famous this dude actually is. It became very apparent when he was introduced to the entire group who Dan Hugo was. I had been talking to someone who was one of the top Xterra racers in the entire world! The discussion panel of professional athletes shared a lot of useful information revolving around training techniques, nutrition, racing strategies, and life as a pro. Out of the entire discussion, one thing really connected with me on the way home. Each pro athlete was living their dream. They talked about what they did with a great deal of passion. They got to travel, race and make a living doing what the really love doing. I thought to myself, those guys are really living the life. They're livin' it! Once I said this to myself, a light bulb came on in my head. True, they're living a life most only dream about, but at one point i'm sure they didn't feel like they were living the dream. I'm talking about before they went pro. The hard work of keeping a full time job and training for races that take up the same time as full time jobs. That last sentence describes exactly how I feel and I don't feel as if i'm living the dream at all. I think the key to it is learning to "live it" in whatever situation you find yourself in. Why wait till you're a professional athlete with all the benefits that encompass this privilege to start living the dream. I need to remind myself that I am living the dream that so many would love to have. I've got a job, a roof over my head, great friends, and have been blessed with genetics that allow me to compete in endurance races. I'm already livin' it and I didn't even take the time to notice it. This was a valuable lesson learned last night and special thanks to Dan for opening that door for me.
Memphis Olympic Distance Triathlon
Okay... so i'm an idiot! I decided to go wakeboarding Friday evening and Saturday morning. Not very smart. I haven't boarded since this time last year so I woke up saturday morning with a sore back. Not exactly how I wanted to go into my race on Sunday. The drive to memphis was full of anticipation. This was my first open water distance swim. When we arrived at the race site, I was greeted by howling winds and not so inviting waters. 1500 yards in a pool is 60 laps. Not so bad when you break it up into 25 yard increments. However, 1500 yards in open water looks like miles upon miles. The magnitude of this swim was also amplified by the white caps that formed from strong winds. I went to bed that night with only one thing on my mind... Don't drown!! With my alarm set for 4:30am, I was ready to get this thing over with. Sunday morning was colder than I expected it to be. With wind gusts up to 15mph and 52 degrees, it was chilly. I got a really got spot in my transition area because I arrived at 5:30 when the transition area opened. After warming up and thinking about all the technical things I needed to remember, it was time to line up for the swim. I was in the first age group and had an excellent spot in line. The anticipation that builds up for a race like this is incredible. I was just waiting my turn in line, like ants marching in a row, waiting to be released into the water. Once I crossed the timing mat and dove into the water, this was not a race against other competitors. It was me versus mother nature and physical and mental pain. Almost the entire swim was faced with a cross current, fogged glasses and a glare from the sun on my fogged glasses which made sighting near impossible. I was relieved to get out of the water and change out of my wetsuit for the bike. I thought that my bike would be the strongest portion of my race. Eh.... not so much! I've never biked in really strong winds before and I had a wake up call after mile 10. The first half of the 24 mile bike was really fast. The course was flat and I had a good wind at my back that allowed me to average almost 23 mph. The second half of the course was met with a cross wind that nearly knocked me over and a vicious head wind that proved to cripple my average speed. It was depressing to see my average dip below 20 mph, and sadly I couldn't do anything to stop it. Not to mention my lower back was all in knots. It was painful during the entire race. My run wasn't any better. I averaged a 7:30 pace for the 10K (6.2miles). This was awful considering I can run a 6:15 pace. My quads cramped up really bad within the first mile and I had to run through the pain for the entire run. It sucked! The old adage, "pain is temporary" definitely describes the feeling as I crossed the finish line. The feeling of accomplishment trumps the beating I just gave my entire body for 2 1/2 hours. Not bad for my first olympic distance race. I could definitely take some positives and negatives from it. It's given me a whole new perspective for the half Ironman in July. The swim would only be a few hundred yards longer but I would double my distance in the bike and run to 56 miles and 13.1 miles for the bike an run. All that said, it's just a motivator for my next race... STAY FOCUSED!!!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Weekend Outlook
After work I'm driving down to the lake house on Tim's Ford Lake! I'll be wakeboarding this evening and early tomorrow morning. Then I'm driving back into Nashville to ride to Memphis for the Memphis Triathlon. On a scale of 1-10 for being prepared for this triathlon, I'm feeling about a 6. Getting sick twice in the same month and continuing back pains have kept me from really pushing it as hard as I wanted to. Most important thing is that I know I can swim 1500 yards. Having that in my back pocket as a confidence booster will definitely be helpful. Between the swim, bike and run, i'm covering 30 miles! It's a very small number compared to the Half IronMan that I WILL complete in late July that will cover 70.3 miles!! With the concert last night, wakeboarding Friday and Saturday, Memphis in may festivities Saturday evening, the triathlon on Sunday and back in Nashville for a friends concert at the famous Blue Bird late Sunday night, it's looking like another awesome weekend! Keep em' comin'!
Cross Canadian Ragweed
Last night I went to the Tin Roof to see Cross Canadian Ragweed play. The day was looking pretty bad but somehow the clouds decided to roll back just in time for the concert! It was a perfect evening to see a great Texas Country band. I got a really great spot by the stage and about half way through his set, Dirks Bently came up and played a song with Cody Canada! Being that close to my favorite country performers was pretty amazing! I was around good company, good music and I acted like I didnt' have to work in the morning! Chalk this one up to be another fun night in Nashville, Tennessee!
Texans invade Tennessee
My family drove in from Texas for my brother's graduation this past weekend. I allowed them to stay at my place for some reason. I hadn't had that many people stay in my house at one time in a very, very long time! With one dog that is partially retarded (my dog) another dog that has two paralyzed back legs, and a mom, father, and sister all sharing one bathroom and shower, things were pretty congested! But I wouldn't have had it any other way! We ate at Cracker Barrell two mornings in a row, had a cook out, listened to all of Clint's friends tell stories about their college days, spent time with relatives and future family members. All in all, it was a great weekend!
Aww Crap!
I was in between appointments at the hospital for my back and I decided to go enjoy the beautiful day outside. As I was walking down the street I was thinking about how amazing the sun felt and the light breeze that carried the smell of fresh cut grass through the air. Sounds too good to be true? (which is beginning to be a reoccurring theme in my life!) This is the part where you envision someone awkward walking into a party and you hear the sound of the record player coming to a screeching halt... In the midst of feeling utterly content with the nice weather, I have another sense that kicks in to tell me something is wrong. I feel a wet sensation on my left shoulder, followed by a stench that can only be described as crap. Yes, that is correct, CRAP! A bird had decided that today, he (or she to be politically correct) was going to use the restroom on my shoulder. But not just my shoulder, my brand new white polo from Express I had bought the day before. I find it odd that when I was born back twenty somethin years ago, my life and this birds life were set on a collision course. Not quite the greeting I was expecting! I haven't figured out if this whole situation was just a metaphor for something completely bigger that I can't comprehend. Hopefully it won't be a predictor of future events because really, who wants to get crapped on??!!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Memphis in May Triathlon
I first started this blog to keep track of all the adventurous things I do and/or want to accomplish. However, it's turned into a series of random stories from my everyday life. I'd like to get back to the original basis for my blog. Here's what's next...
On May 17 I am doing the longest triathlon I've ever competed in. This is nothing to get excited about since I've only done 2 triathlons EVER. I will be swimming .95 miles, biking 23 miles and running 6.2 miles. Swimming is definitely my weakest category, followed by the bike, and my strongest category is running. Unfortunately I tire myself out so badly on swimming and biking that by the time I get to my best event, it feels like my worst. You shouldn't feel like you're in survival mode during these events. The main principle of triathlons is all about efficiency. If you're not an efficient swimmer, you'll be fatigued during the bike, and if you're fatigued on the bike and you're not an efficient biker, you're doomed in the run. Since I decided to compete in triathlons back in January, efficiency has been a constant struggle with me. I'm finally up to where I can swim 1800 yards straight in the pool . This has been the largest obsticle for me to overcome. However, most triathlons involve an open water swim with several hundred participants and in this particular triathlon in may, 1700 people in the water! It quickly becomes a full contact sport. .If you don't have an efficient stroke already, trying to navigate an open water swim, weave in and out of people, and take kicks to the face, you're going to struggle. My bike riding is coming along pretty good. I'm trying to average over 20mph for however long i'm riding. I'm beginning to develop some lower back problems which is greatly hurting my ability to bike long distances and run directly afterwards. Last night I ran 10.5 miles in 76 minutes and it felt pretty good. I definitely could've gone faster. This will be a tough week of training and next week i'll taper off and rest for the race.
On May 17 I am doing the longest triathlon I've ever competed in. This is nothing to get excited about since I've only done 2 triathlons EVER. I will be swimming .95 miles, biking 23 miles and running 6.2 miles. Swimming is definitely my weakest category, followed by the bike, and my strongest category is running. Unfortunately I tire myself out so badly on swimming and biking that by the time I get to my best event, it feels like my worst. You shouldn't feel like you're in survival mode during these events. The main principle of triathlons is all about efficiency. If you're not an efficient swimmer, you'll be fatigued during the bike, and if you're fatigued on the bike and you're not an efficient biker, you're doomed in the run. Since I decided to compete in triathlons back in January, efficiency has been a constant struggle with me. I'm finally up to where I can swim 1800 yards straight in the pool . This has been the largest obsticle for me to overcome. However, most triathlons involve an open water swim with several hundred participants and in this particular triathlon in may, 1700 people in the water! It quickly becomes a full contact sport. .If you don't have an efficient stroke already, trying to navigate an open water swim, weave in and out of people, and take kicks to the face, you're going to struggle. My bike riding is coming along pretty good. I'm trying to average over 20mph for however long i'm riding. I'm beginning to develop some lower back problems which is greatly hurting my ability to bike long distances and run directly afterwards. Last night I ran 10.5 miles in 76 minutes and it felt pretty good. I definitely could've gone faster. This will be a tough week of training and next week i'll taper off and rest for the race.
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